A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree
by sayjay1995
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura were the best of friends until their families started fighting. When they had to say goodbye, Sasuke gave her a special gift. Now that they're on the same squad, will the two realize their feelings? SasuSaku fluff
1. A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree

**A/N: Hello again SasuSaku readers! Sayjay-chan is back! I was reading a fanfiction today, and while I should be updating my pokemon fanfiction I decided to write this mega kawai one shot! So please read, and at the end drop off a review to let me know if it was any good or not! Speaking will be in "I'm talking." And thinking will be in 'I'm thinking.'**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the mention of pokemon above, nor sadly do I own Naruto. **

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

"PLEASE Sasuke-kun?"

"No! I won't do it. It's embarrassing!" Two eight-year-old children were sitting just outside the Uchiha compound on this fine, early spring afternoon. The first was the black haired onyx eyed second son of the magnificent Uchiha's, Sasuke.

He was having an argument with his very best gal friend in the entire world, our favorite pink haired konuichi in the making, Sakura Haruno. Sasuke shook his head as Sakura repeated her request.

"You're not being nice Sasuke-kun!" the younger girl said with an angry sigh. She stood up and placed a hand on her hip, her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief.

"If you won't do it, then I'm gonna ask Itachi-san!" she threatened. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You can't! Or he'll tell my mother that I was being mean to you!" Sakura smiled; she could feel his spirit breaking.

"Ah well, right? At least I can count on Itachi-san to give me what I want. It's too bad; you could have used that chance as a great training technique." Sakura turned to go, but before she could get away Sasuke jumped up from the soft green ground and grabbed her hand.

"Humph, fine. I'll do it. But only 'cause it's good training." Sasuke turned his back on his friend and leaned forward slightly. Sakura let out a giggle and climbed onto his back. She held onto his spiky jet-black hair like the reigns of a horse.

"Giddy up 'lil Sasuke-kun!" Sakura commanded, pulling his hair. Sasuke winced slightly but other then that he showed no sign of how embarrassed he was or how sore his head was getting.

"Faster!" Sakura cried out as she dug her knees into his ribcage. He broke out into a dead bolt, anything to keep the pink haired rider from doing that again.

"Easy Sakura-chan, that really hurt!" Sasuke muttered. To his annoyance Sakura laughed. He felt the sides of his lips dip upward. The happy sound of her voice never failed to bring a smile to his face. From the kitchen window Sasuke's mother watched the two at play.

"Oh honey, look at Sasuke and Sakura play! They're so cute together! I bet they'll make a good couple when they're older." Sasuke's mother said while washing the dirty dishes made from lunch. Itachi and his father were sitting at the table talking.

"Yes, that's nice dear." Sasuke's father muttered, clearly not caring or paying attention. He picked up a cup of tea and took a long sip.

"I think it's wonderful that Sasuke and Sakura are friends." Itachi said to his mother.

"It's nice to have bonds between us and the Haruno clan. Why just the other day I was talking to-." Itachi was cut off by his father, who had spit out the sip of tea. The family stared awkwardly, not knowing what to make of the now seriously angry face of Mr. Uchiha.

"What did you just say?" the usually pitiless leader's voice was shaking with anger. Mrs. Uchiha stared open mouthed at her husband. Itachi was the only composed figure in the room.

"I said that I was talking to-" His father cut Itachi off again.

"Not that! Before, about the Haruno scum?" Itachi raised an eyebrow at his father.

"Since when did you have a hatred of the Haruno clan?" Itachi questioned. The eldest son threw a quick glance at his mother, as if making sure she was all right. Mrs. Uchiha placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Please, dear, tell us what happened so that we can think through this logically." Mr. Uchiha took a few calming deep breaths.

"Last night, when I went out for a sake break with some fellow clan leaders, I ran into Mr. Haruno. We talked for awhile, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. That is, until that stuck up peacock Haruno said that his clan was far better then the Uchiha! He said that we didn't have the skill to do anything besides strut around like the worthless imitations of kings we are. I would have killed him, but the bar tender kicked us out for fear of the fight causing damage to his business. I came home instead of beheading that Haruno-teme!" Itachi remained silent while his mother gasped.

"Is that true? Mr. Haruno really said those things?" she put a hand over her heart.

"I don't believe it! They are our friends! We both wear the Leaf headband with pride and honor!" she sat down next to her husband.

"Itachi, take care of that Haruno infestation at once!" Mr. Uchiha roared at his favorite child. Itachi bowed his head.

"Yes, father." He disappeared in a poof of smoke. Sasuke panted as he ran around the house for what felt like the billionth time. Though he told himself to continue, his legs did just the opposite. Sasuke collapsed on the ground with Sakura on top of him.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun! You really are a good friend." She buried her face in his hair and sighed contently. Sasuke, though his legs felt like they were going to fall off, was glad he agreed to play Sakura's silly game.

"You're welcome Sakura-chan. Next time though, let's play a game that doesn't involve me being the horse." Sasuke said, earning a laugh from his female companion. Itachi appeared then, and he stood in front of the fallen children.

"Sakura-chan, it's time for you to go home now." He said in a quiet, unemotional voice. Sakura looked up at the taller Uchiha, the one who had all the glory.

"Okay Itachi-san. Can I come back tomorrow and play with Sasuke-kun?" she asked hopefully. Itachi sat down on the ground and kept his eyes locked on Sasuke's.

"Not tomorrow, I don't think." He said. Sakura looked crestfallen.

"Oh, okay. Bye then, Sasuke-kun." She stood up and helped brush the dirt off of Sasuke's shirt. After giving him a swift friendly peck on the cheek and waving at Itachi, Sakura made her way to the Haruno district of Konoha.

"What gives Itachi? Sakura-chan and I were having fun!" Sasuke sat down in front of his brother and glared at the older version of himself.

"Sasuke, I don't think you can play with Sakura-chan anymore," He said slowly, making sure Sasuke understood. The young boy stared at his brother with confused onyx eyes.

"Our father and Sakura-chan's father had a little fight, and they don't want you two hanging out anymore." Sasuke's eyes widened as realization struck the poor boy.

"No more…Sakura-chan?" Sasuke stated sadly. Itachi nodded once. They fell into a long silence, interrupted only by a light breeze that passed by. Sasuke sniffed, and moved to sit on Itachi's lap. Itachi allowed this behavior, though by Uchiha standards Sasuke should be long past needing comfort and crying. It pained the older boy to see his beloved brother in pain. When Sasuke's tears ran dry Itachi stood up and poked his younger brother's forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" Sasuke snapped, his mood turning irritable.

"You better be careful; Father feels very strongly about this." Itachi admonished before turning to enter the house. Sasuke followed, gulping down the sudden fear that had gripped his stomach. They walked into the kitchen, and to the children's surprise there stood the leaders of Uchiha and Haruno in a heated conversation. Their faces were inches from each other's, and spit frequently flew from their mouths.

Mrs. Uchiha and Mrs. Haruno stood by the sink, muttering and giving each other dirty looks. Their fight didn't seem to be as vocal, and no where near as severe as the men's. Nobody seemed to notice that the duo had walked in. Sasuke then noticed a pile of pink hair hiding in the corner, shaking with fright and tears.

"Sakura-chan!" Sasuke ran past the fighting adults and to his friend. Sakura looked up at the sound of her name, and relief washed over her tiny body.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cuddled closer to Sasuke as he sat down beside her. The pinkette's tears streamed freely down her face. Itachi remained motionless, watching the scene with a mixture of annoyance, confusion, and amusement.

"What happened? I thought you went home?" Sasuke asked, having to yell a bit to be heard over the adults. "I was on my way home when I saw mommy and daddy running at me. They looked mad, but before I could ask what was wrong they grabbed me and dragged me back here." Sakura finished her story with another sob.

"They won't stop fighting. Make them stop Sasuke-kun! Please!" Sakura cried, her jade eyes locking onto Sasuke's black orbs. Sasuke looked at Itachi, begging with his eyes to help.

"ENOUGH!" Itachi yelled suddenly, annoyance clearing gaining dominance. Authority rang in every letter. The adults stopped fighting to stare.

"Can somebody please explain what the heck is going on here?" Itachi demanded to know.

"These Haruno-temes think they can just walk into our home and make demands! Well I am an Uchiha, and I won't have it!" Mr. Uchiha ducked as Mr. Haruno swung a punch.

"Watch who you're calling teme you baka!" he spat.

"Don't call my husband a baka!" Mrs. Uchiha snarled at Mr. Haruno. Sakura's mom didn't take that well, and the next thing you know all heck has broken loose. Sakura ducked into Sasuke's chest, hiding her tears. That was when they finally noticed Sasuke.

"GET YOUR DISGUSTING HANDS OF MY DAUGHTER!" Mrs. Haruno screamed, wrenching Sakura away from Sasuke's warm embrace. The pink haired girl stared up at her mother with fear, yearning to be back in Sasuke's protective arms.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO MY CHILD LIKE THAT!" Mrs. Uchiha shouted back. It was clear that if something wasn't done soon, the adults were going to use jutsu. Mr. Haruno spat on every pair of Uchiha shoes, even Sasuke's, before dragging his wife and child out of the compound and stomping home. Mr. Uchiha looked livid.

"If you ever, EVER, go near that pink haired vermin again, I will beat you so hard you will not sit down again." He said slowly, his black eyes filled with fire. Those fire encased onyxes bore into Sasuke's frightened eyes.

"Oh, and Itachi, good job on taking care of those temes. I knew I could count on you!" As angry as he was, naturally Mr. Uchiha found time to pay his favorite child a compliment. Itachi didn't reply, but watched his brother as different emotions raged across his face.

'Sasuke is feeling very much. Fear, anger, confusion, the need to fix everything…these aren't the emotions that should burden an eight year old.' Itachi thought sadly, wishing he could help his beloved brother.

"Y-Yes father." Sasuke whispered, afraid of getting hit. So what had once been a perfect afternoon was now a living nightmare. Evening came, and an aura of hate lingered over the house. Visitors stayed away, and Sasuke spent the time lying on his bed. His father's words scared and angered him; they weren't justified at all.

'Who cares if the Uchiha are stronger then the Haruno or not?' Sasuke thought angrily as he stared up at his bedroom ceiling.

'I bet Sakura-chan's parents are yelling at her too. I wish there was something I could do to prove to her that we'll always be friends, even if our parent's don't agree…' then, a sly idea crawled into the young boy's mind. Though it would mean ignoring his father's order, Sasuke knew it would be worth it in the end. Inside a drawer, underneath all his clothes, was a hidden scrapbook.

There were pictures of Sasuke and Sakura in it, from the time they met until the most recent one, which had been taken earlier that month. After a moment of flipping through Sasuke chose the best one and slid it in his pocket, careful to avoid any bending or damage.

He carefully walked out of his room and down to the kitchen. The house was eerily quiet; Itachi had gone out to see Hana Inuzuka, his father was out drinking sake instead of taking anger management classes like the Hokage ordered, and his mother was….where? Where was Sasuke's mother?

((A/N: Sorry, couldn't help but throw that in. I never did like Sasuke's dad much…))

"Are you going somewhere, Sasuke?" A female voice asked as Sasuke pulled on his shoes. The black haired boy froze.

"Y-Yes." He answered honestly, turning around to see his mother. "You're not going to see Sakura-chan, are you?" Her eyes looked at him suspiciously.

"N-No mother. I merely wanted to go see the cherry blossom trees. Itachi said they were in bloom, and that they were pretty." Again he answered honestly.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you Sasuke? You're like Itachi, you're a good boy, right?" his mother's eyes narrowed.

"I would never do such a thing Mother!" Sasuke looked her in the eyes. She nodded, accepting his answers as true.

"Have fun then, and be home before dark." She ordered before turning to wash more dishes. The minute his feet hit dirt Sasuke started to run. The cherry blossoms grew at the village's western districts, and the only person Sasuke knew that lived out this way was Naruto Uzumaki. As tempting as it was to stop by for a visit, Sasuke had to focus on the task at hand.

'Whoa! Big brother was right!' Sasuke thought when the beautiful cherry blossoms came into view.

'They're really pretty!' Now came the second phase of Sasuke's plan. He needed to get four perfect branches from the most beautiful tree. Sasuke scouted each tree carefully, looking for the one that lacked scratched trunks and barren branches.

Finally, after much, much searching, Sasuke found a tree that met his standards. It truly was the best tree of the lot, each petal bloomed to perfection. Sasuke looked at the lower hanging branches that were too far up for him to reach. Sasuke tried to climb the tree, but found he couldn't get very far. Sasuke sighed in frustration; he just had to get those flowers!

"Why so glum Sonny?" an old man asked, huffing and puffing as he used a wooden cane to march forward. Sasuke looked up at the white haired stranger. The man's skin was dark and very wrinkled. His clothes were that of a simple villager.

"I need four branches from the best cherry blossom tree," Sasuke said with another sigh.

"But I'm to small to get them." The old man smiled in an amused way.

"And what, pray tell, do you need four perfect branches for?" he asked. Sasuke revealed the photo. It was similar to the earlier situation; Sasuke was lying on the ground and Sakura was sitting on his back. Itachi had taken the photo, and both children were grinning, the sound of their laughter echoing in their elated faces.

"I need to make a frame for this photo; it's for my friend." Sasuke explained. The man leaned forward and blinked a few times; his eyes weren't as young as they used to be.

"Well, Sonny, that sure is nice of yeh. I guess old me can lend a hand." With surprising strength for such an old fellow, the man jumped up and pulled the nearest branch. It made a loud CRACK as it broke apart from the rest of the tree. The man continued to break the branch into four parts that were long enough to fit the photo.

"Here you go Sonny. Be a good boy, yes?" Sasuke smiled at the gentleman and nodded.

"Thank you!" He pulled out some string and started to tie the branches onto the photo. When he was done, both Sasuke and the old man admired the craftsmanship.

"Very nice, Sonny. Yer friend will like this much, I think." The old man nodded his head in approval. Sasuke thanked the man again before running with all his might towards the Haruno compound. He knew that if he were caught, he'd be better off dead.

But that only made Sasuke run faster, and when the sun went down he used the full moon as a guide. He neared the large Haruno home and for a moment he expected to be caught. His luck seemed to be going good, maybe a little too good.

Thankfully not a person was spotted, and Sasuke crept along the house's side silently. He had been over on many occasions, and knew which window was Sakura's. When he found the proper window, Sasuke was glad to see that if he stood on his tiptoes he could just barely tap the glass.

He tapped as loudly as he dared, hoping it would be enough to attract the attention of his green eyed friend. It was a relief to see the glass move upwards and strands of pink flutter in the late night breeze.

"Sasuke-kun? Is that you? My daddy'll kill you if he sees you here!" the pinkette hissed, fearing for her beloved friend.

"I have something for you! Something important!" Sasuke whispered back, holding up his handmade gift. He smirked to see the surprised look on her face. Sakura reached out, and with some difficulty, pulled it inside the safety of her bedroom. She disappeared for a moment, to better look at her gift.

She had a hard time seeing it, because she didn't dare turn a light on. But thanks to the moon, there was enough of a silvery glow for Sakura to appreciate the beauty of it. Sasuke heard her gasp in delighted surprise.

"Oh Sasuke-kun!" Sakura reappeared, her childish features practically out glowing the star lit sky. Sasuke's heart swelled with happiness and pride. Knowing that his mother would have a cow about him being late didn't seem to matter anymore; all he could picture was his wonderful flower as happy as a pig in mud. Sakura reached out and stretched her fingers. Sasuke, despite his sore toes, made himself stand tall so that he could reach back and grasp her hand.

"This is a promise made on a Sakura tree," Sasuke told her, his black bangs hanging down in his eyes. He had worked that line through is mind all evening, perfecting it to sound the way he wanted it to. To name the promise after the flower he was saying it to sounded right, like destiny wanted it to be.

Sakura looked down at her childhood friend, and had the urge to cry. She fought back the tears, at least for now. The moonlight made Sasuke's alabaster skin seem paler.

"No matter what our parents say, or how far their hatred goes, you and I will remain friends to the very end." Sasuke locked his eyes with Sakura's, and she yearned to bury her face in his silky spiky hair.

"Sasuke-kun…thank you." Sakura whispered. Her father coughed from his bed next door, and they could hear the patter of his feet as he stood up and walked across the floorboards.

"Sakura-chan…" Sasuke gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go and backing into the darkness. Sakura quickly hid her gift under the bed and pretended to sleep. After her father was back in bed Sakura let a few tears escape down her cheeks, her silent sobs lost in the peacefulness of the night. She never wanted to forget that last image of Sasuke, pale and quiet as he clung to her hand.

'Don't ever forget me, Sakura-chan.' Sasuke thought as he watched her silhouette disappear. The young Uchiha turned and ran back to his house, where sure enough his mother stood waiting, ready to punish him. The boy sighed; he didn't care what happened now. Sasuke tried to brand Sakura's face into his memory as the woman before him started to yell.

**A/N: This turned out so cute, I think! I feel kinda inclined to write more though, so I just might end up writing more. I want to thank everyone for reading, and apologize if anyone seemed OOC today. And, to clarify, this was suppose to be a very fluffy fanfic, so there were bound to be a few lovey dovey moments. At this age I suppose it's only a very strong friendly kind of love, not the kind they'd feel as teens. I tried to keep that in mind while I was typing, but all I really wanted to do was let 'em kiss and all that good stuff. Hopefully I did okay with keeping everything in order….**


	2. Squad 7

**A/N: Eh, sorry for the long update everyone. I'm still deciding how to let this fanfiction play out, and if anyone has suggestions please tell me! I need them!**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 2**

Time passed quickly for the two separated friends as their lives became somewhat normal. Though the families continued to hate each other, their fighting lessened. Sasuke and Sakura were still forbidden from playing together, and in time they learned to look the other way when they saw each other in public.

With heavy hearts they tried to forget about the other, finding that easier said then done. Years passed, and the two young children grew up and made new friends while attending the shinobi academy. It wasn't until that fateful graduation day that they acknowledged each other.

"And Squad 7 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka concluded as he looked up from a clipboard in his hands. Sakura froze, her hear pumping rapidly. Naruto grinned his usual goofy smile, while Sasuke looked cold and bored. Inside though he could already feel the headache his father was going to give him when word spread. Sakura sat back in her seat feeling deflated.

'I've been dreaming of this moment ever since I could walk, but now that Sasuke-san and I are on a team…I wouldn't be surprised if Father made me quit as a konuichi…' Sakura thought to herself with a muffled sigh.

Ever since they had stopped being friends, Sakura had quit adding 'kun' to Sasuke's name and switched it to 'san'. It seemed more fitting, given the situation. Class ended, and the other students rushed off to meet their new teammates and teachers. Only Squad 7 stayed behind, waiting for their teacher.

"Hey there Sakura-chan!" Naruto said as they sat around. Sakura, whose head had been off in the clouds, blinked when she noticed Naruto was talking to her. She momentarily registered that he called her 'chan', and decided to be nice.

"Oh, hi Naruto-kun." She greeted, glancing at Sasuke. He was ignoring them completely and staring at the door. Naruto caught her glance and frowned.

'Stupid Sasuke-san, always stealing Sakura-chan's attention!' Naruto thought as he glared at the black haired boy. Sasuke felt their stares but said nothing, wishing they'd go away.

"Where the heck is our Sensei? Ugh! That's it, I'm tired of waiting!" Naruto chuckled darkly as he saw chalkboard erasers.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing? You'll get us in trouble!" Sakura hissed as Naruto set the eraser in-between the door and its frame.

"That's what he gets for being late." Naruto said, as if that justified everything. Sakura was going to reply, but then the door slowly opened and the eraser fell on the head of their sensei. Naruto burst out laughing, but then huffed when he saw the teacher's hair was white. Sasuke sighed in annoyance.

'This is going to be a long day…' He thought with a glare.

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

That evening Sakura dragged her feet home in a vain attempt to make the trip longer. When she arrived home, Mr. and Mrs. Haruno were there to greet her.

"My darling little baby is all grown up!" the female shouted as she ran forward and embraced her daughter.

"Tell me, are your new teammates cute?" she laughed in Sakura's ear. Sakura felt her face blush as she tried to laugh along.

"U-Um, well," she started to speak but was cut off by her father.

"What a fine little konuichi you'll be!" he agreed, patting the pink locks on Sakura's head.

"What about those cute teammates?" Mrs. Haruno repeated, her eyes wide with excitement. Sakura's confidence squandered away as her parents stared, waiting for an answer.

"Naruto U-Uzumaki and S-Sasuke Uchiha…" she said quietly, closing her eyes and bracing for impact. The parents remained silent for a solid thirty seconds before bursting out in a fit of rage.

"WHAT? AN UCHIHA!" they started yelling and vowed to force Iruka to switch up the teams. Sakura slipped around them and hurriedly ran to her room.

'It could have been worse.' She reminded herself, not believing that for a moment as she readied for bed.

'Hopefully Sasuke-san's parents took it better…' Sakura covered her ears and fell into an uneasy, restless sleep.

Sasuke walked into his kitchen to find an eerily familiar scene. His mother was washing dishes as usual while his father and Itachi sat at the table.

"Ah, Sasuke! Tell us about your first day as an official Genin!" Itachi moved aside to make room for his younger brother. This was the big moment that Sasuke had secretly been dreading all day.

"My sensei is Kakashi Hatake," Sasuke replied in his toneless voice.

"How nice!" his mother stopped washing the dishes and turned to talk to the family. She shot Mr. Uchiha a look.

"And what about your teammates? Are they any good?" his father asked reluctantly, glancing at his wife wearily.

"Hn, if you consider Naruto Uzumaki or Sakura Haruno good, then yes." Sasuke tried not to flinch as his father started letting out a stream of swear words. Itachi went over to comfort their mother, who was shaking with anger.

"I'll be in my room resting for tomorrow's mission." Sasuke stood up and went to his room without supper. As he lay down to try and sleep that night, his parent's voices could be heard calling Iruka and trying to get a teammate change.

From the sounds of things, it wasn't going so well. Sasuke tried covering his face with a pillow but found sleep nearly impossible.

**A/N: Sorry, I know this was short. But I just wanted to add to the tension between the families in order to make the next chapter more dramatic. Thanks to everyone who added this fanfic to their alert subscription, it really made me happy to see that!**


	3. The Dangers Of Living With Ramen

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed so far. I'm still hoping for a few more though, so if you want faster updates then make sure you tell me how this story is going!**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 3**

Barely a month's worth of missions had passed, and still Squad 7 was at each other's throats. Their current mission was a perfect example of that. They were to deliver a box of rare spices to a small town called Tashika, west of Konoha.

"Why can't we be out on real missions? The future Hokage can't stand around carrying a bunch of stupid herbs!" The blond Uzumaki boy complained loudly to Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. All three of them sighed in unison.

"Because you are only a Genin, Naruto." Kakashi explained for the hundredth time that day, not bothering to look up from his pervy book. Naruto was walking a head of the group with the box of spices, followed by Sakura. Kakashi followed behind her, and Sasuke made up the rear.

'Ugh, I think my feet are going to fall off!' Inner Sakura moaned. Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch as Naruto went on to complain about his own sore feet.

"JUST SHUT UP AND WALK BAKA!" Sakura roared and smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Sakura-chan, you hit like a bulldozer!" Naruto rubbed his aching head.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"Ow ow ow! Wait, I meant you hit like a truck, no, ugh-!"

"NARUTO-BAKA!"

"It was supposed to be a compliment!"

"THAT'S IT!" Naruto and Sakura continued their squabbling until Naruto's head was so badly abused he learned to keep his mouth shut.

'Mental note, do not anger the pinkette.' Kakashi thought as his nose buried deeper into the pages of adulthood. Sakura felt her nose itch.

'Hmm, somebody must be thinking about me. I wonder who?' She glanced back at Sasuke for a fleeting second, but quickly demised the thought.

"Why don't both of you just shut it?" Sasuke muttered, glaring at Naruto. Sakura bit her bottom lip; whenever he talked (which was very, very rare) or yelled at everyone, Sasuke never looked at her. Only at Naruto, or Kakashi, or something in the sky.

"Sorry Sasuke-san…" She said quietly, looking down at her feet while they walked.

"Humph. Who died and made you King Emo?" Naruto looked over his shoulder and chuckled. Oh how he loved getting under Sasuke's skin. Sasuke knew it, too. That's why he waited until no one was looking to casually pick up a pebble and flick it at the back of Naruto's head, 'accidentally' hitting the same spot Sakura had murdered.

"Ow! Sasuke-san hit me!" Naruto yelled at Kakashi, moving to get right up in his face. Kakashi closed his book and it slammed on Naruto's nose. After he yelled out in more pain, Kakashi announced they had arrived.

The town of Tashika was very small and plain, located next to a large pond. The shinobi dropped off the spices at a restaurant and journeyed home. When the gates of the Leaf Village came into view, Kakashi stopped walking.

"Listen up you three, I have a special adult mission for real ninja coming up tomorrow, and I'll be gone for a couple days. During that time, I want each of you to partner up with one person and spend a day with them. Then, spend time with the other on another day.

If I find out you ignored orders, Naruto won't get ramen for a month, Sakura will be forced to shower in mud, and Sasuke will have to wear pink." All three of them silently shuddered at the thought of Kakashi's punishment.

"What's the point of doing something as stupid as that?" Naruto asked, though honestly he wouldn't mind a day with Sakura.

"You dope, it's to build teamwork." Sakura answered matter-of-factly.

"That's correct Sakura." Kakashi nodded his head and, though it was hard to tell with that annoying mask on, smiled.

"We'll meet as soon as I get back to see who's still alive." Kakashi added with a dark chuckle before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Now Squad 7 was left alone, and an awkward silence had fallen over. None of them appeared to want to volunteer.

"Okay, let's try Rock Paper Scissors. The two who win get to spend the day together tomorrow." Naruto suggested.

"Hn. For once your idiotic brain came up with something that's useful." Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto started roaring about his becoming of Hokage. Sakura raised a fist and Naruto fell silent. Each of them put a fist in the middle, and in unison they began to chant a phrase known to every person in the history of fun but stupid games.

"Rock…Paper…Scissors…Shoot!" Three voices cried, fists quickly changing into their choice of attack. Both Sakura and Naruto had gone with Paper, and Sasuke's unchanged fist said he had chosen Rock.

"Paper covers Rock, so Sakura-chan and I are up first!" Naruto looked overly pleased, and Sakura couldn't help but smile. Sasuke didn't seem to care, and shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"You can have Sakura-chan next, Sasuke-san, and then it'll be us." Naruto frowned at that statement as he said it, showing his dislike of the black haired ninja.

"Whatever." Sasuke turned and walked into the Village, leaving Naruto alone with Sakura. He gulped nervously and asked the question he had been mulling over all day.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I was wondering if maybe sometime we-?" Naruto started, cut off as a bird dive-bombed into his hair.

"AHHH! GET IT OUT!" Naruto flailed his arms and started rolling on the ground. Sakura watched with wide eyes.

'Was he going to ask you out? Ugh, gross!' Inner Sakura shivered and pretended to gag. Very slowly she started to back away while Naruto yelled something about the bird trying to pick bugs out of his hair. With a moan of embarrassment Sakura saw the Village gate watchers were staring and laughing at the blue eyed idiot. She ran back into the village and back to her house, and only when she was safely locked up in her room did Sakura burst out laughing.

'That was very, very awkwardly funny.' Sakura said to herself, gasping for a breath.

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and rumors of Naruto's misfortune spread throughout the village. Sakura wasn't surprised to walk through the village the next day and see people laughing and whispering about the blond haired goof. She was running a bit later then planned, because Sakura didn't know if she should dress up or not.

After nearly an hour of thinking, Sakura decided to wear her usual red dress but pulled her long hair back in a messy bun. She walked up to Naruto's apartment and knocked on the door. Sakura let out an audible gasp when Naruto opened the door. The smell of mold and death burned the inside of her nose, and Sakura had to take a step back. Naruto cocked his head to the side, confused.

"Did I do something wrong, Sakura-chan?" He asked worriedly. Like Sakura he wasn't dressed up either, which was a relief. Instinctively Sakura pinched her nose shut.

"Naruto-kun, what's that smell?" She peered around his shoulder and saw a glimpse of his kitchen. The sight made her shudder.

"Oh, you mean the smell of ramen?" Naruto moved aside so Sakura could walk in. She couldn't believe what she saw. The kitchen table was covered with dirty dishes of cereal and ramen, and a carton of milk was out next to a bowl of what should have held fruit, but instead held empty boxes of instant ramen.

'Why wouldn't he put the dirty dishes in the sink?' She asked herself, before seeing that the sink was full of moldy dishes that were past the need of washing. The garbage looked like it hadn't been taken out in years, and there were thick green clouds of toxic smoke rising from the contents.

She noticed a few cockroaches move under the fridge, which was stained with black dirt and fingerprints. Naruto's bed was unmade, the blankets falling off the bed. A few more ramen boxes were scattered around the bed, and when Sakura took a step small clouds of dust blew up.

"Oh, my, goodie, gumdrops." Sakura's mouth was hanging open, and Naruto still didn't seem to get what the problem was.

"So, Sakura-chan, what do you want to do today?" Naruto asked brightly, as if everything was fine.

"We're going to clean up this…this…mess!" Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw something moving under one of the abandoned ramen boxes.

'Mess? That's the understatement of the year!' Inner Sakura cringed.

"Alright Naruto-kun, do you have any kind of cleaning supplies?" Sakura questioned, getting down to business.

"No. If anything gets dirty, then I usually just put it someplace out of sight and forget about it." Naruto answered truthfully.

"Okay, I need you to get me this stuff." Sakura scribbled down a list, and Naruto raced off like a rabbit.

'This may not be how I wanted to spend time with Sakura-chan, but if it makes her happy to clean up my mess, then I'll do it. I wonder why she wants to though; it's not _that_ bad.' Naruto thought as he ran towards the nearest store that could sell him the things on his list.

**A/N: Poor Naruto! I feel bad about abusing him like that! I'm so sorry fangirls! Yeah, well, other then that I haven't got much to say…**


	4. A Not A Date Lunch Date

**A/N: I am so, so very tired tonight. But, on the bright side, this is the time when I write the best. Why? I don't know. That's just how it is. So hopefully this chapter will be good enough to make up for the long, long time you had to wait for it…**

**A Promise Made on A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 4**

When Naruto arrived back at his apartment with his arms laden with cleaning supplies, he found Sakura already hard at work sorting between things that needed thrown away, and things that could be saved. With a frown of dismay he saw a good heaping pile of trash, and a rather small pile of useful-ness.

"Sakura-chan! I need this stuff! I don't have the money to go out and buy a whole new kitchen!" Naruto whined, handing over the requested cleaning agents.

'At this rate, you might as well get a new apartment, dobe.' Inner Sakura sighed in annoyance while the real Sakura pulled on a pair of thick yellow rubber gloves.

"Just stand there and do what I tell you to do." Sakura commanded from her spot in the kitchen. Anything with more then one layer of mold or moved on its own was thrown in the garbage pile. Once sorted, Sakura had Naruto drag bag by bag of garbage to an alleyway dumpster while she scrubbed down thirteen years worth of yuck.

From the kitchen the cleaning duo moved to Naruto's bedroom, bathroom, and finally living room. By the time they were done, Sakura was red in the face, sweaty, and her hair was falling loose. Naruto sat on his clean couch and stared at the pink haired girl in amazement.

'Wow…that sure was nice of Sakura-chan to clean my place up. It's a wonder why Sasuke-san doesn't like her…' Naruto thought, watching as his teammate stood up and stretched. Now, Naruto may be blond and hyperactive, but he wasn't exactly stupid.

He saw the way Sakura looked at the dark haired Uchiha when she thought no one was looking, and how downtrodden she looked when he acted like a jerk. It was clear even to him that she liked him, and that her feelings were wasted. This was part of the reason why Naruto didn't like Sasuke; he had such a good thing waiting for him, but was too thick to open his eyes and see it.

"Alright, that should do it," Sakura said before collapsing on the cushion beside Naruto.

"You'll need new dishes, but at least this place is livable." The pink haired girl leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment of relaxation. The morning had flown by quickly; already it was past noon.

"Sakura-chan, you didn't get to eat lunch! Let me repay you by buying you some ramen at Ichiraku's." Naruto suggested with a goofy grin. Sakura's stomach let out an embarrassing loud gurgle, and the girl had no choice but to accept.

'Cha! You'd better offer something after all that slave work we went through!' Inner Sakura yelled, punching the air.

"You don't know how wonderful that sounds, Naruto-kun." Sakura answered with a wary smile. So, once she had cleaned herself up a bit and was declared beautiful by her inner self, Sakura announced she was ready to go.

"Great! Hey, Sakura-chan, guess what? Last week I heard there was this new kind of ramen that had this weird fruit in it! So I decided to eat some. It was red, and…" Naruto talked of that tale from the time they left his apartment to the time they reached the ramen shop.

Sakura didn't mind his gibbering; all she had to do was nod in the appropriate places. Other then that her mind was free to wander, though to her surprise she did listen to over half of his story.

"And then I tried to poke it with a toothpick, but I got bored so I used my shadow clone jutsu to pulverize it into red mush, and that's when I realized it was a vegetable the whole time!" Naruto finished dramatically as the two shinobi sat down at the shop counter. Sakura laughed as Naruto's story came to an end; she had really enjoyed hearing it.

"Hey, Naruto." The shop owner said, grinning at his best customer.

"Who's your friend?" His grin grew wider as Naruto's face darkened.

"This is Sakura-chan; she's on the same shinobi squad as I am." Naruto explained hastily before ordering two bowls of ramen. Sakura sat her hands in her lap and made polite conversation with Naruto while they waited for their food.

"Here we go; two hot bowls of Ichiraku ramen! Eat it up Naruto; I've got plenty in stock today." The shop owner sat down the white bowls of noodle soup in front of each ninja and walked away, most likely making more in case Naruto's stomach decided to go overboard on the food.

'This will be the most delicious thing to ever pass by my mouth.' Sakura thought as the steam rose from the bowl and tickled her nose. After a few bites Sakura was able to relax, and to Naruto's delight she truly seemed to be having a good time.

"Sakura-chan, you have a bit of noodle right about…here." Naruto pointed to the same spot on his face. Sakura picked up her napkin and wiped her face off.

"Did I get it?" she asked, her eyes attempting to look down and locate the object.

"No, but I can do it." Naruto said, picking up his own napkin. And before Sakura could utter a sound of protest her companion reached over and gently wiped her mouth off.

"What the…?" a dark voice said behind them. Naruto and Sakura turned to see their black haired teammate frozen in the shop's opening. He was staring at them, his mouth slightly open. Sasuke looked surprised, but that was the only emotion he let shine through his face. That fleeting sight was quickly reined in, to avoid letting his other emotions come out.

'Why the heck is Naruto-baka wiping off Sakura-san's mouth? That's something only I…oh, forget it. That's the past, this is now.' Sasuke thought, feeling _very_ annoyed. He rearranged his face to look normal, and when everything was under control Sasuke moved closer.

"What are _you_ doing here, Sasuke-san?" Naruto demanded to know.

"Today isn't your day to hang out with Sakura-chan." The blond grinned deviously at Sasuke, despite his annoyance at the interruption.

"Are you jealous that I get Sakura-chan first? I bet that's it. You just can't deal with coming in second, so you've come to wreck my date with Sakura-chan. Admit it Sasuke-san!" Naruto laughed loudly and dipped his chopsticks into his bowl of noodles.

"You baka! I'm twice the ninja you'll ever be! And I'm not wrecking anything! I came to eat a bowl of noodles!" Sasuke growled back, his face inching closer.

"Well I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto shot back.

"Hokage my butt!" Sasuke sneered, looking off to the side and smirking. Sakura's body tensed as she watched Sasuke and Naruto batter back and forth. Her first thought was to whack Naruto painfully for calling their lunch a date; the next was about what the blond boy had said.

'Sasuke-san wouldn't be jealous of Naruto-kun and I. After all, Kakashi sensei said we had to spend some time together. And it's not like I mean anything to Sasuke-san anymore, not since the fighting began…then again, maybe he is kinda mad.

I remember when we were little, he'd wipe things off my face like that too…' Sakura winced as the happy childhood memories came flooding out of the drawer she had tried to lock them in.

She stood up then, knowing that if she didn't leave right away then the tears were going to fall. Both boys looked at her at the same time.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan? Don't you want to finish your ramen?" Naruto asked, looking sad. Sakura pushed aside the fresh wave of guilt she felt.

"Thanks for lunch, Naruto-kun. Um, I'll see you tomorrow then, Sasuke-san?" Sakura muttered quickly, not meeting the gaze of either boy. Without waiting for an answer she ran out of the ramen shop, but despite her haste the memories of her forbidden friendship still came, and Sakura knew it was time to give Ino a call.

'I know she's mad at me for being on Sasuke-san's team and everything, but I need somebody…' Sakura rubbed her temples as she came to a stop in front of the flower shop.

'Here I go.' Sakura thought before opening the door. A bell went off, signaling the arrival of a customer. There, at the counter, sat Ino Yamanaka reading a magazine.

"Welcome to-." Ino started, looking up from her reading. Her voice ended when she saw the familiar pink locks.

"Sakura-san? What are you and your giant forehead doing here?" Ino asked, all traces of polite-ness gone. Sakura didn't have the energy to argue today, so she let that little comment slide. For now.

"Ino-san, I need advice. I didn't know who else to turn to…you are the best at it." Sakura twiddled her thumbs in a very Hinata-ish sort of way, knowing that a compliment would warm things up a bit.

"Well, I can't argue with you there. So what's on your mind?" Ino questioned as she played with a pot of roses sitting on the counter. Sakura replayed everything that had happened so far.

"I'm just so confused, Ino-san. I don't like Naruto-kun more then a teammate, though he apparently likes me, Sasuke-san acts like I don't exist, though I'd like to be his friend, and those two act like they hate each other's guts, so they're always fighting." Sakura moaned, burying her face in her hands.

When Ino heard the whole Sasuke ignores Sakura part, she looked happy and willing to help. But now that she heard the whole Sakura wants to be Sasuke's buddy thing, she was back to being rude.

"What do I look like, a therapist? Just try to deal with it, and whatever happens, happens." The blond girl said with a roll of her blue eyes.

"Thanks, Ino-san…" Sakura muttered before leaving the shop, feeling worse then when she had gone in.

'And to top things off, if my parents find out about my one on one time with Sasuke-san, they'll likely lock me away in a tower like some forgotten princess…' Sakura thought with a sigh.

Her mood had taken a big downwards dip, and when she returned home it was obvious to her parents that today was not the day to ask her what was up.

**A/N: Sorry, I know I made Ino all mean and stuff in this chapter. But I'll sweeten up their friendship later on. For now it makes for good drama. So Sasuke randomly showed up and caught Sakura and Naruto having a moment… and now Sakura has to spend time with Sasuke, though if caught by their families… well, it looks like I've written a decent chapter then :D**


	5. Sasuke Has Real Feelings

**A/N: I don't exactly feel all that well today. But, I did just eat a cheese sandwich on wheat bread, so I think I'll make it long enough to write this fanfiction out. Oh, by the way everyone, wheat bread is the most delicious carbohydrate I've ever eaten. Nearly as good as General Tso's Chicken, which is the most amazing substance on the planet!**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 5**

Because she had suddenly fled yesterday, Sakura had no idea when or where she was suppose to meet Sasuke. Thankfully Naruto had had some wits about him, and had gone to the trouble of leaving a note taped to the front door of the Haruno home. And for the first time in his life, Konoha's knucklehead ninja proved to have a brain cell.

"Sakura, honey, this was found outside. It's for you. You should read it quickly; it took all my power and focus to keep your nosy father from getting it on my way up the stairs." Sakura's mom said as she entered Sakura's room unannounced. Sakura jumped in surprise and nearly fell off her bed. In the process she did end up dropping the book she had been reading.

"You scared me mom!" Sakura half complained as she picked herself up and brushed herself off. Her mother smiled and picked up the fallen book before handing over the letter.

"Well, here you go. Hurry and open it; I want to know what it says!" the two Haruno women sat down on Sakura's bed, and Sakura opened her up her letter.

"Sakura-chan, I just wanted to write and remind you to swing by my flower shop; you forgot to pick up that order of roses for your parents yesterday. Come get them today at two o'clock, okay? Love from, Ino-chan." Sakura read aloud, her puzzlement shining on her face.

'Ino-san's handwriting isn't sloppy like that. And why she'd sign it 'chan'? We're no longer friends; not that I'd ever tell mom about that. And I haven't a clue about these roses. Why…?' Sakura's thought train trailed off as she understood the code hidden between the lines.

"Oh I forgot!" Sakura slapped her forehead dramatically.

"My, my, Ino-chan's handwriting is slacking somewhat…. Anyway what's this about dear?" Mrs. Haruno asked curiously as she looked at her daughter with smiling eyes, as if she was waiting for a juicy piece of information.

"You know how you and dad are going away on vacation tomorrow? Well, I stopped by at Ino-chan's flower shop to order roses for you two as a goodbye present. But, um, then Naruto Uzumaki-san, from my squad, showed up and acted like the cocky idiot he is. He put me in such a bad mood that I left and completely forgot about the roses." Sakura lied quickly, surprising even herself at how easily the words flowed from her mouth.

'Handwriting this atrocious couldn't belong to anyone other then Naruto-kun. I guess I owe him one.' The pinkette thought, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

"And that's why you were so angry last night?" Her mother concluded, seeming pleased with Sakura's explanation.

"Yes. And I'm sorry I acted like such a terrible daughter." Sakura sighed before hanging her head. She really was sorry for acting so rudely towards her family last night.

"It's okay honey," Mrs. Haruno said and swiftly kissed her child's forehead.

"But, don't you have a mission today?" She continued with a slight chuckle at her daughter's forgetfulness.

'Yes, we do. Our mission is to spend time with who you call the devil.' Inner Sakura said nastily.

"Oh, that's right! Thanks mom!" Sakura jumped up and fled from the house, sticking the note in her pocket as she went. Before she met up with Sasuke in front of Ino's flower shop, Sakura decided to make a quick trip to Naruto's house to thank him properly. When she knocked, however, nobody answered.

'Huh, wonder where he's at?' Sakura thought before walking away. Now, as her feet subconsciously carried her towards the flower shop, Sakura felt her stomach go up in butterflies.

'Just hanging out with an old friend…no, keep it professional. I'm going to talk to my teammate. That's all. The 'rents won't catch me, and everything'll be okay…' She told herself warily while she walked.

'Ugh, and we didn't even get dressed up or anything! Heck, you made your hair nice for Naruto-baka. What's Sasuke-san going to think?' Inner Sakura moaned, bringing up another worry. It was true though; Sakura looked down at herself and saw she looked the same as she did any other day.

What joy. She rounded a corner without looking up from herself. Because her eyes were downcast, it was impossible for her to see where she was going. Sakura felt herself ram into somebody standing in front of her, and the collision nearly knocked the mystery villager over. Instead she found herself smashed against the strong back muscles of a blue shirted ninja.

"I'm sorry!" Sakura gasped quickly when she realized whom it was. Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance when he heard the familiar soprano voice. He spun around and Sakura found her face inches from his.

"Watch were you're going." Sasuke hissed, his warm breath mingling with Sakura's. For a moment Sakura thought her breathing would stop, and she felt her muscles freeze. His coal black eyes swept over the surrounding people, as if to make sure no one was watching.

"Follow me, but stay at least twenty paces away at all times. Do you understand?" Sasuke asked, still not looking at Sakura but rather at the other villagers. Sakura noted an edge to his tone, and she knew he wanted to hurry before someone would notice them and tell their families. She nodded once and then Sasuke turned and walked away.

'Ten…fifteen…' Sakura counted each step in her mind, and when Sasuke's foot touched the ground for the twentieth time she followed in pursuit. Unbeknownst to either Leaf shinobi, a pair of blue eyes had been watching jealously in the background.

Anyway, Sakura followed Sasuke to the outskirts of the village, and then past the Konoha gate. Sasuke continued to lead her through a thicket of trees before Sakura began to grow impatient.

'How much further do we need to be?' Inner Sakura complained, her voice loud enough to give normal Sakura a headache. She was tempted to catch up, but Sasuke did say she was to stay twenty paces behind the entire time.

'He never said you couldn't talk to him.' Inner Sakura said slyly before moving to the back of Sakura's mind.

"H-Hey!" Sakura stuttered, trying to sound normal. Her voice came out a few octaves to low, but Sasuke's magnificent hearing didn't fail him. He turned his hand and made a shushing gesture. Sakura unhappily zipped her lip.

They walked for another ten minutes until Sasuke stopped in front of a large meadow. She had to admit, it was worth walking all this way to see it; the wild flowers were in bloom, sending a wildfire of color up and down the fresh green grass.

Sakura hesitated before walking to stand next to the Uchiha. He stared at the beautiful scene before them and said nothing. A light breeze flew by, gently playing with the ends of their hair. Only then did Sasuke whisper something.

"Sometimes, when our parents would fight, I'd come here to think." His lips barely moved as he spoke, and Sakura half doubted she heard him correctly.

"Come." He said suddenly, his tone back to its usual bossy, commanding self. Taking long strides Sasuke walked forward and sat down among the vegetation. Sakura followed silently, her heart beating audibly.

'This is much more serious then my time with Naruto-kun…' Sakura thought as she sat down next to him. She wasn't sure how close to be, so she sat down at a distance that could have been filled by a small child. Sasuke didn't seem to care at all. He merely gazed up at the sky, as if there was something interesting to see. All Sakura saw were clouds.

She wanted to make small talk, to break the silence that had fallen between them with a witty comment, but sadly nothing came to mind. Instead she too looked up at the puffy white clouds and tried to find shapes in them. They stayed like that until the sun hung low in the sky and Sakura thought her neck would break off from staying in such a position.

She stretched out her neck and arms before yawning. Sasuke's eyes flickered in her direction for a moment; Sakura's were closed from yawning and she didn't catch the motion. Again, silence. Sakura found herself growing bored, and that turned to tired-ness. Her emerald eyes began to droop, and before her mind could think of ways to stay awake the lights went out.

Sasuke heard the swoosh of air that was associated with something falling, felt the light and easy breathing on his heck, and felt the sudden pressure on his shoulder. His subconscious knew what had happened, knew that it was an ordinary reaction to someone who had fallen asleep.

Yet, if that's what his mind was telling him, then how did it explain the sudden burning feeling that was creeping up the heartless Uchiha's face? What logical function caused his breath to catch in his throat, and make his heart increase its tempo?

The answer? Nothing. Nothing in the entire universe could explain these things. Except one thing, a thing Sasuke Uchiha would never have thought could possibly happen to him.

'What is this…what's happening to me?' Sasuke thought blankly, his body tensing. Slowly Sasuke turned his black head until he was peeking down at the sleeping girl, whose head was resting comfortably against his shoulder.

Now that he had a quick look, the Uchiha found he couldn't, didn't want to, look away. He took in every detail of her sleeping form, from the way her locks hung down over her face to the slow rising and falling of her chest.

Using his right hand Sasuke gently reached forward and brushed away the strands of hair, a gesture he would have done years ago as Sakura's best friend. That was too much for the onyx-eyed boy. His eyes widened as he realized how he was acting.

"I've got to get out of here!" Sasuke gasped out loud, though it was quiet enough not to wake Sakura up. He carefully shifted Sakura's weight until she was lying in his arms. Then, with the grace of a swan Sasuke jumped up; it was like Sakura was a weightless pillow. He was about to leave the meadow when he saw two long stemmed roses growing.

'Naruto-baka said that Sakura had to lie to come; he said that lie involved roses. Last time I heard Sakura-san and Yamanaka-san weren't getting along well. I doubt she'll want to go get flowers from her.' Sasuke thought and, after sighing irritably at his out of character behavior, Sasuke kneeled down and plucked the two roses from the ground. He swore silently when a thorn pricked his thumb. It didn't hurt, but the stem had a few drops of blood on them.

'She can worry about it then.' Sasuke thought with a quick glance at Sakura. After being assured she was still asleep, Sasuke started the trip home. He knew a few shortcuts around the village thanks to Itachi, and given the time Sasuke had no trouble sneaking into Sakura's back yard and sitting her down against the house.

He put the roses on her lap and disappeared before anyone could catch him. But, little did Sasuke know, all his effort to keep their 'date' silent was wasted. A particularly jealous blond girl had seen them together outside the Yamanaka flower shop, and the green monster was working angry thoughts into her mind back at the shop.

**A/N: Fluff! Oh how I loved writing the fluff in this chapter! It made me all happy and I even blushed at the whole Sasuke gets normal feelings part. Now I'm off to watch new episodes of Bleach that are on in eight minutes! Which, by the way, are owned by Tite Kubo, not me.**


	6. The Big Bad Uchiha Boy's Mistake

**A/N: Well, um, I sorta have to admit something. It's not really important, but… well, I have summer homework this year because when school starts in three weeks I'll be taking honors classes. And, heh, I kinda procrastinated on some of the projects, so while I should be working on them I'm kinda…updating this fanfiction. Yep, Mama might not be to happy when she hears that…**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 6**

When Sakura's parents found her that evening snoring with the pair of roses, they were very confused. Sakura, used now to lying, came up with a quick fib about how tired she was from training, and that these were the roses she had gotten for her parents.

"I thought roses came in bundles?" Mr. Haruno said, despite his appreciation of the parting gift.

"Um, they do, but on my way home…a villager attacked me and stole the others." Sakura said quickly before making an excuse to run upstairs. The next morning Sakura's parents prepared their departure just as the sun was rising. A yawning and bed haired Sakura stood in her living room, waiting until her parents had a moment to say goodbye.

"Suitcases are packed….you have the number for the hot springs we'll be staying at…I guess that's everything." Mrs. Haruno uttered as she turned to face her daughter.

"Have a good time you two." Sakura stifled a yawn and hugged her parents.

"Be a good girl while we're gone, okay?" Mr. Haruno ruffled his daughter's already messy hair and off they went. Sakura walked them outside and waved goodbye until her parents were tiny black dots in the distance.

'This'll be nice; I have the whole house to myself for the next couple of days!' Sakura thought as she rubbed the sand out of her eyes. There was no use going back to bed; she might as well get ready for the day. She turned away and moved to go inside.

'Huh? What's that?' Sakura noticed a folded piece of white paper lying under the welcome mat. She knelt down and unfolded the mysterious note.

"Dear Sakura-san, if you aren't to angry with my disgusting behavior, I'd like for you to swing by the shop today. I feel awful for how I treated you before, and would like to make it up. Hope to see you soon! Love from, Ino-san." Sakura read aloud, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

'Ino-pig wants to see me? This has to be a dream. But, I guess it couldn't hurt…' With a slight smile on her lips Sakura stood up, stretched, and hurried inside to comb the rat's nest out of her hair.

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose for what felt like the billionth time.

'How can one person be so annoying? We've only been at this for an hour!' he thought with an inward growl. Today was the day he was to 'hang out' with Naruto. They decided it would be acceptable to go see a movie. So far all they did was argue about which was better: pirate movies or ninja movies.

"For the last time Uzumaki-baka, pirate movies are better because we already are ninja. That takes the fun out of the action." Sasuke snapped in an exasperated tone.

"Duh, Uchiha-teme, everyone knows ninja movies kick pirate movies in the rear. It's an act of betrayal to like anything else! Besides, you just don't like them 'cause you don't have a killer side kick like Jackie Chan!" Naruto smirked at the black haired boy, knowing he hit a nerve. He paused for a moment, letting Sasuke seethe in anger.

"I bet Sakura-chan likes ninja movies better." Naruto added with an evil grin. Sasuke's shoulders tensed for a moment as he remembered his last encounter with his pink haired teammate.

"So?" Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and looked in another direction.

"So? So you like her, and you should care what she thinks." Naruto poked Sasuke in the chest, earning a smack across the head from the fuming Uchiha.

"I do not like Sakura-san." Sasuke growled, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh yes you do. Sakura-chan told me all about your guy's date!" Naruto chuckled and moved closer to Sasuke's face.

"Don't you want to know what she had to say about it?" Naruto ducked as Sasuke tried to deck him.

"Ah, watch that temper Sasuke-teme. If you don't want to know what Sakura-chan thinks of you, then that's fine. I'm sure Itachi-san would love to hear all about it." Naruto scolded, his sky blue eyes alight with enjoyment and mischief.

"You wouldn't dare." Sasuke stated, his voice dripping with acid.

"Try me." Naruto stuck out his tongue before turning to leave. Sasuke grabbed his shoulder and spun the blond around.

"Not that I care, but what did Sakura-san say?" Sasuke demanded to know, his usual antisocial casual-ness gone. Naruto pulled away and laughed nervously.

"Well, heh, the funny thing is, Sakura-chan really didn't tell me anything. But that proves that you do like her, and I know she likes you too. So you need to go ask her out while her parents are gone!" The blond boy rubbed the back of his head while Sasuke looked angry enough to kill a kitten.

'I can't believe I fell for such a stupid trick! Naruto-baka knows just how to push my buttons; I've got to put a stop to that.' Sasuke thought as he cracked his fingers. Naruto, sensing a well-deserved beating, quickly said,

"Okay, if you don't believe me, then I'll prove it." He sighed a breath of relief when he saw Sasuke drop his fists.

"Prove what? That you're an idiot?" The Uchiha boy looked up at the sky and wished he had stayed in bed.

"No, stupid. I'm going to prove to you that Sakura-chan likes you back!" Naruto grinned like an idiot at what in his mind was a brilliant plan. Sasuke glanced at his companion and shook his head.

'He just doesn't get it, does he?' Sasuke thought mutely.

"Well, what do you say? You game?" Naruto questioned, getting somewhat impatient.

"How do you plan to prove Sakura-san's non existent feelings?" Sasuke asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the response.

"That's the easy part; I heard from Ino-san that she was going to hang out with Sakura-chan today. While they're at the flower shop, we can sneak into Sakura-chan's house and find some proof. Sakura-chan _is_ a girl; she must have a diary or something somewhere." Naruto was forced once again to duck as Sasuke sent another punch flying.

"You dork, I'm not breaking into her house!" The onyx-eyed boy hissed.

"Okay, fine. I didn't know the big bad Uchiha boy was afraid of a little love!" Naruto laughed. That was one step over the line.

"NARUTO-BAKA!" Sasuke hollered, his eyes glinting red with Sharingan. Naruto took a step back and gulped.

'Looks like my plan worked; but now I have a blood thirsty Uchiha on my tail!' Naruto thought as he spun around and fled. Sasuke chased after the blond, and Naruto had no trouble leading him to the Haruno home.

"Good, it looks like Sakura-chan already left!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder at his attacker. Sasuke skidded to a stop as he looked up at the Haruno house; it was one Konoha building he hadn't seen in nearly six years. The last visit didn't count; he hadn't had the time to get a good look at everything.

Naruto approached the frozen boy and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder, his face sympathetic. Sasuke remained silent for a full minute, and during the silence he stared at Naruto in mild surprise.

"Let's get this over with." Sasuke sighed before shrugging Naruto's hand away. The blond didn't seem discouraged at all; in fact, he was practically shaking with excitement as he moved to go inside.

"Wait, Naruto-san," Sasuke said suddenly before reaching out and tapping his companion on the shoulder.

"Huh? What's with the 'san'?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

"You like Sakura-san, right? Well why are you trying to get us together then?" Sasuke uttered, ignoring Naruto's question.

"Oh, that's an easy one. As much as I like Sakura-chan, I know she likes you better. It wouldn't be fair to make her have to choose between us. And, I've sorta been talking to Hinata Hyuga recently. She thinks I'm funny!" Naruto grinned sheepishly.

Sasuke didn't have a comment to that, so Naruto led the way inside. Sasuke was slightly relieved to see that everything seemed the same; there was the familiar couch in the living room, family photos on the walls, and the refreshing scent of flowers in the air...

'It's like I never left…' Sasuke thought as he took in the childhood scene.

"Alright Sasuke-san, lead the way to Sakura-chan's room." Naruto commanded as he put his arms behind his head.

"Why do I have to do it? This was your idea." Sasuke grunted, knowing it was pointless to argue. Naruto had never been inside Sakura's house; he had no way of knowing which room was hers.

So Sasuke led Naruto up a set of stairs and to the second door on their right. He stopped in front of her door and stared at the wood, his hands frozen to his side.

'I'm getting a bad sense of de ja vu…' Sasuke thought with a muffled sigh. How many times had he been in her room, all those years ago? Far to many to count, that's for sure.

"Hurry it up Sasuke-san; I don't know how long Ino-san will be able to keep Sakura-chan busy." Naruto hissed in the Uchiha's ear. Sasuke opened up the door to Sakura's room, and the first thing he saw was pink.

'Just as I remember…' Sasuke thought as he looked at the brightly painted walls with matching blush carpet.

"Whoa! So this is what a girl's room looks like!" Naruto pushed past Sasuke and began examining everything from the bookcase near the door to the wooden dresser near the bed.

"Alright, I'll look under the bed while you look through the bookcase and the dresser." Naruto declared as he got down on his knees. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the bookcase.

'If we're looking for a diary, then Sakura-san wouldn't hide it here. Her nosy father would find it for sure. I suppose the dresser is a possibility…' He wandered over to the said piece of furniture and pulled open the top drawer. Without much thought to what he was doing Sasuke reached in to dig around.

His fingers closed around something soft, yet firm, and he pulled it out. When the Uchiha boy looked at the object in his hands, a brilliant scarlet blush crept up his cheeks. His breath caught in his lungs, and Sasuke had to gasp for air. He was holding up a black bra, the kind with lace around the edges.

And, like all teenage boys, a few thoughts came to mind relating the article of clothing in question to his pink haired teammate. Naruto, hearing the surprised sound, pulled his head out from the darkness.

"Sasuke-san, what did you- _WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT?_" Naruto's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he stared accusingly at Sasuke.

"It's not what it looks like!" Sasuke proclaimed, throwing the bra back in the drawer and slamming it shut.

"I didn't know you had such a nasty mind Sasuke-teme!" The blond boy said while shaking his head in disapproval.

"You had better hope Sakura-chan doesn't find out; you won't like her when she's angry." Sasuke shot a death glare at Naruto before turning away. He couldn't stop blushing, and to make matters worse he knew Naruto was right.

'If Sakura-san ever did find out…I'd be a dead man walking.' The black haired boy gulped before going to take another look at the bookcase.

"Hey, Sasuke-san, look at this!" Naruto pulled something out from underneath Sakura's bed.

"Did you know she had this?" Naruto asked, holding the mystery object out. Sasuke marched forward and ripped it out of Naruto's hands.

"What is it…?" Sasuke's voice trailed off as he saw the familiar photo. He was holding the same picture he had given Sakura back when they were still friends. It didn't look a day old; each flower was as perfect as the day he had picked them.

'Yamanaka-san must have had her parents use a jutsu to preserve the cherry blossom petals. But why would Sakura-san still keep it?' Sasuke thought as his fingers delicately examined the photo and frame. Naruto seemed to know what Sasuke was thinking.

"See, what did I tell you? Sakura-chan wouldn't have kept something stupid like this unless she really cared about you!" Naruto, convinced he was right, did a victory dance.

"I was right, you were wrong, ha!" Naruto sang as he pointed a finger at Sasuke.

"Shut up, baka." Sasuke growled as he put the gift back under Sakura's bed. As much as he hated to admit it, it seemed to him that Naruto was right. He thought finding out the truth would make him feel better, but found he now felt worse.

'Sakura-san…it can never happen. My family wouldn't allow it, and neither would yours.' To Naruto Sasuke motioned it was time to leave before walking out of his childhood friend's room. Naruto followed, shutting the door behind him as he went.

"Are you going to tell Sakura-chan you love her?" Naruto asked as he followed the Uchiha out of the Haruno residence.

"Hn." Sasuke replied shortly before walking away.

'Good luck, Sasuke-san. I don't know what you're planning on doing, but you'll need it.' Naruto thought as he watched his teammate disappear.

**A/N: What's with Ino's strange note? Will Sasuke convince himself it's time to swipe Sakura off her feet? Could they pull a relationship off, considering the bad blood between their families? Find out the answers to these questions soon!**


	7. One Jealous Fangirl, Two Ruined Lives

**A/N: I just want all my readers to know, I'm going on a week long vacation to the beach. So don't expect an update for awhile. We won't have any computer access the entire time, and honestly as much as I love writing who would want to sit inside on the computer when they're at the beach?**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 7**

While Sasuke and Naruto had their little adventure, Sakura made her way to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. As usual a bell rang when Sakura opened the door, signaling the arrival of a customer.

"Ino-san? Are you there?" Sakura called as she looked around the empty shop.

"In the back, Sakura-san!" Ino called out, her voice muffled. Sakura walked to where Ino's voice was coming from and found herself in the storage room. That was were Ino's parents kept flowers, mulch, and seeds that weren't needed up front in the shop yet.

They were stacked on metal shelves in rows across the room. Sakura looked at the cement walls and floor and was reminded of a creepy basement.

"Ino-san? Hello?" Sakura yelled again, quickening her pace.

'This place is giving me the creeps!' Sakura thought with a shudder. The lights overhead flickered off, and Sakura nearly bumped into the wall.

"Ino-san? Where are you?" Sakura raised her voice and tried not to sound afraid. She heard a cackle of laughter and the slamming of a door.

'Something tells me Ino-san is still mad…' Sakura realized with worry. Her body froze when she heard the wheezy chuckle of a man somewhere in the darkness. While the pinkette was busy being locked in the storage room, the said Yamanaka girl was laughing evilly up front.

"My plan is working perfectly! Once Sasuke-kun hears that Sakura-san is in trouble, he'll come running to save her. But then I'll come in with my awesome jutsu, and Sasuke-kun will realize he loves me! Nothing can go wrong!" Ino muttered to herself before running out of the flower shop.

Sasuke, who had needed some quiet time to think, was walking aimlessly through the streets of Konoha. It didn't take long for Ino to find him; she had gotten quite good at spotting his head among a crowd.

"Oh Sasuke-kun~" Ino yelled as she ran up behind the Uchiha and jumped on his back. Sasuke grunted and cocked his head to the side. He found himself face to face with a troubled looking Ino.

"Yamanaka-san, get off my back." Sasuke hissed, his arms reaching up to pull the annoying fangirl off.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, you just have to help me!" Ino said dramatically after she was back on her own feet. She leaned on his arm and blinked her blue eyes up at him. He said nothing, but his answer was clear from the cold glare in his eyes.

"PLEASE Sasuke-kun?" Ino purred as she leaned closer to him. Sasuke's lower lip quivered for a second as he heard the first three words from chapter one. Those words brought back a lot of unpleasant feelings.

"W-What is it?" Sasuke muttered, quickly coughing to cover up his stutter.

"It's Sakura-san; she's in trouble!" Ino cried, her grip moving from Sasuke's arm to the front of his shirt. Before anyone could see and spread rumors, Sasuke pulled Ino's hands away from his shirt.

'OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE'S HOLDING MY HANDS!!!!!!!!!' Ino thought with as much gusto as if she was screaming. With her body pumping with adrenaline Ino leaned forward and stuck her lips out. But Sasuke wasn't fooled; in fact he thrust her hands away and pulled out a kunai.

"Where's Sakura-san?" Sasuke demanded to know, not liking the idea of his darling pink haired teammate being in harm's way.

"Come, I'll explain on the way." Ino uttered, her shoulders slumped in a pout.

'Humph. Next time I'll sink my hook into you Sasuke-kun, and you won't give that annoying forehead brat the time of day!' Ino growled to herself as she and Sasuke took off.

"What happened?" Sasuke questioned while they ran, his grip on the kunai extra hard.

"I-I don't know, exactly," Ino made sure her voice sounded just right, to avoid letting Sasuke get suspicious.

"I wanted to hang out with Sakura-san today, you know, to make up for how mean I was to her. But she came with some creepy older guy; they had their arms wrapped around each other's waist. I was scared, but didn't say anything. After all, Sakura-san's responsible enough to know who to trust and who not to.

Well, after we talked, they wanted some alone time. I hesitated, because I didn't think it was a good idea for that guy to be alone with Sakura-san. She remembered the shop's storage room, and they raced off inside and locked the door. I heard them giggling at first, but then it sounded like Sakura-san was scared…

I didn't know whom to tell, so I ran until I found somebody I knew. Please, Sasuke-kun, we have to help Sakura-san!" Ino ended her story with a fake sob, and let a few convincing tears escape her eyes. Sasuke was shocked to hear such a thing, but he was determined not to let it show in his face.

'Why would Sakura-san go out with somebody like that? If what Yamanaka-san said is true, then she could be in serious danger!' Sasuke's jaw clenched as he imagined what terrible things could be happening to his childhood friend. Another thought struck him, one that Sasuke didn't like one bit.

'Since when was Sakura-san dating?' The Uchiha boy's black eyes narrowed in dislike.

'I guess Naruto-baka was wrong after all…' Ino watched him out of the corner of her eye as they neared the flower shop.

'I've got to make sure my timing is perfect!' Ino thought with a shiver in anticipation. Yamanaka Flower Shop came into view, and Sasuke all but kicked the door down in his hurry to get inside.

"Where's the storage room?" Sasuke barked, not in the mood for being nice. Ino told him and Sasuke tugged on the door. While he was opening it Ino walked away and hid behind a giant flower growing out of a pot. She aimed her hands carefully, and when Sasuke opened the door Ino smirked.

She was locked on Sakura's face when Ino muttered the name of her famous jutsu. The lights turned back on, and Sasuke gasped when he saw the sight before him. Sakura was pinned against the wall, her arms being held above her head by a stranger Sasuke had never seen before.

Ino had been right; the guy was freaky looking. His dark hair was matted down with dirt and his teeth were yellow and rotted. He wore dirty, holed clothes and no shoes. Sakura's eyes were shut tight, every feature of her face screaming for help.

Ino's psyche collided with Sakura's body, and before the Uchiha or anyone else could move a possessed Sakura was leaning forward to kiss the stranger. Upon the Haruno's lips meeting with the hobo's, he dropped her arms and wrapped his own around her waist. A smirking Sakura put her own arms around his neck and they stayed like that until Sasuke's kunai found itself inches from the stranger's neck.

"Get away from her!" Sasuke snarled, his eyes bright with Sharingan. The stranger instantly pushed Sakura away and held his hands up innocently.

"Sasuke-san? What are you doing here?" Sakura cocked her head to the side innocently, while Ino enjoyed the look of Sasuke's anger.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE HOKAGE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Sasuke roared, his famous red eyes boring into Sakura's like a thousand knives. Sakura gulped before standing straight.

"I was enjoying a private moment with my boyfriend, something I know you don't understand." She uttered, glaring at the Uchiha. Sasuke took several deep breathes in attempt to get a hold of his feelings.

"Sakura-san, has this man hurt you? Did he do something bad to you, to make you act like this? If he's threatening you Sakura-san-!" Sasuke tried to say, volumes of anger echoing in his tone. Sakura cut him off by slapping him across the cheek.

"Who do you think you are, waltzing in here and attacking my boyfriend? I hate you Uchiha-teme! My family always has, and I always will. Why don't you go bother someone who actually cares, like Ino-san? She's a lot prettier then I am anyway." Sakura snapped. Sasuke didn't know what to say. Instead he just stood there, staring and feeling the sting of her slap.

'Can this be? I would have thought she had some childhood feelings left in her…I suppose I was wrong as well.' Sasuke realized, his heart breaking in two. Ino felt her psyche itching to return to its proper body, and knew it was time to wrap this up.

"Don't talk to me ever again, Uchiha-teme. Don't help me, don't look at me, and don't think about me. Go back to your weak, sniveling family where you belong." Sakura huffed as she turned away. Sasuke dropped the kunai and flexed his fingers.

"Fine. I merely thought I could assist my teammate. Clearly I was mistaken. I will not bother you again unless Kakashi-sensei says otherwise." Sasuke stated, his voice stiff and his eyes back to their cold, hard black selves.

Sasuke turned and marched away, hiding all traces of hurt and betrayal from his face. Sakura giggled in delight before Ino's mind was forced back into her own body. Sakura blinked a few times and looked at the man who was holding her.

"YOU PERVE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Sakura yelled as she face palmed the stranger.

"GYA!!!!!!!! Crazy chick on the loose!" The man yelled before running off. Before he left the flower shop he called over his shoulder

"Thanks for the money hun!" Then he was gone, and not a moment too soon. Ino stood up and stretched, and then noticed Sakura staring at her.

"What?" Ino questioned faultlessly.

"Ino-san, did you use your jutsu to get in my head?" Sakura hissed as she stood to pick up Sasuke's fallen kunai.

"No! Of course not! Don't be silly." Ino laughed nervously.

"What did you do Ino-san?" Sakura growled as she twirled the kunai threateningly.

'Oh, crap. This wasn't part of the plan!' Ino thought nervously.

"I did nothing, okay? So if you can't prove I did, then get out of my flower shop." Ino demanded as she pointed at the door. Sakura death glared the blond haired girl.

"When I find out what you did Ino-pig, I'm going to cut your hair in your sleep!" Sakura denounced as she waved the kunai. The Haruno girl then quickly left Ino's flower shop.

'I've got to figure out what Ino-san did to me while she was in control…' Sakura thought as she walked by a black beetle.

**A/N: There was a lot of yelling in this chapter, huh? Anyway, I know I previously stated that I would sweeten up the tension between Sakura and Ino in a later chapter. Well, don't worry anti Ino bashers, I'm still going to try and squeeze that in. But I had to write it; after all, it **_**is **_**something she would do. At least I think she would. I do hope this will fill your update cravings for at least a week; I tried to make it really good!**


	8. Love At First Trip

**A/N: School's coming up in three days for me. Eh, I'm getting some bittersweet feelings about that. I will honestly try to update during the first week of school, but I'm not sure if that'll happen. I'm sorry if you end up waiting awhile. Perhaps while you wait you can read some of my other SasuSaku works? Oh, and congratulations to moonshine86. You correctly guessed something in your last review ;D**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 8**

That black beetle had witnessed the flower shop scene. But what was a lowly, non speaking insect to do? Fly off in the opposite direction of Sakura and onto the finger of a pale, quiet boy that's what. That said boy listened as it told of Ino's cruelty, and when the beetle was done speaking in its animal tongue he walked away.

He walked, and walked, and walked some more until he was behind a fellow black-eyed shinobi. The bug boy reached out and tapped his comrade on the shoulder. Sasuke didn't have his guard up, for he had been busy moping about Sakura's change of heart. In fact he could still feel the place where she had smacked him; it was hard to tell if his face hurt worse then his pride.

When the bug boy grabbed a hold of his shoulder, Sasuke assumed he was in danger and spun around with a shuriken to the stranger's neck.

"Easy, Uchiha-san. I just want to talk." Bug boy said in a quiet, casual voice.

"Shino Aburame? What do you want?" Sasuke growled as he put away the metal weapon. The sun glinted off Shino's glasses, and neither boy said a word. Just as Sasuke was deciding to leave, the bug boy asked a very personal question.

"Uchiha-san, what is Sakura-san to you? Is she merely a teammate, who you have past with? Or is she something more?" Shino asked, earning a surprised look from the black haired boy. That wasn't a question he got everyday.

"What's it to you?" Sasuke replied, casually avoiding an answer.

"I know something about your relationship, Uchiha-san. Something you may want to know." Shino fell silent as Sasuke mulled over his words.

"Well, bug boy, you talk big. But can you back it up?" Sasuke muttered, growing tired of this. Shino told Sasuke everything his trusted beetle had said, though he wisely didn't mention the source of the information.

"Don't lie to me Aburame-san!" Sasuke hissed angrily when Shino finished telling the story.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. But you need to decide if Sakura-san is worth fighting for." Shino stated before walking away. Sasuke huffed a breath of anger; this day wasn't going his way at all. But Shino's words were still playing in his mind, and the common sense part of his brain told him that it was possible.

'Maybe…Sakura-san does still harbor feelings for me…and maybe…I…' Sasuke thought with uncertainty. His mind suddenly cleared, and the Uchiha knew what he must do.

"If I was a teenage girl who had just gone through a difficult situation, where would I be?" Sasuke asked himself. That didn't really help, because Sasuke had no idea what it was like to be a girl. But he made a logical guess, and ten minutes later found himself sneaking around the Haruno residence.

The sun was setting low in the sky, and most villagers were heading home for the evening. When he was sure no one was looking, Sasuke crept up to the front door and knocked. He prayed that his darling pinkette would answer. Thankfully she did, and man was she sure surprised to see the Uchiha boy in her doorway!

"Sasuke-san? You shouldn't be here!" Sakura whispered, looking around for any sign of nosy neighbors who would tell on her the second they got the chance.

"Can I come in? I need to talk to you." Sasuke gently pushed past her without waiting for an approval. He walked in her living room to find Naruto sitting on her couch.

"Sasuke-san? Why are you here?" Naruto questioned as he looked at Sakura curiously. The pink haired girl shrugged; she was just as startled as Naruto.

"I could ask you the same question." The Uchiha replied as he sat down next to Naruto. Sakura sat down beside Sasuke.

"I was trying to help Sakura-san find out what Ino-baka did to her today." Naruto answered with a growl.

"No way we're going to let that slug get away with this!" he added.

"I'll save you the trouble; that's partly what I came to talk to Sakura-san about." Sasuke said. He told his teammates everything he knew from Shino.

"I can't believe Ino-san is jealous about you and I being on the same team," Sakura sighed.

"There's no point to it. Everybody knows our families hate each other, and that they would sooner die then let us do anything more then missions together."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, Sakura-san." Sasuke said hesitantly. Sakura's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

'Is he going to say what I think he might say?' She thought with wide eyes. Naruto sensed a private moment coming up, and stated that he needed to go home.

"I'll lie and tell your parents you're going to be out late training with me, so don't worry about running home tonight." Naruto uttered to Sasuke before smirking and leaving.

'I knew he'd figure things out soon enough.' The fox like teen thought as he hurried home to his ramen. Now that Sasuke and Sakura were alone, all the words that Sasuke had thought up were gone. He was actually starting to sweat with nerves, and his heart was racing. She looked at him expectantly; he needed to tell her _now_. Her look of contemplation vanished to one of worry.

"You don't look so good Sasuke-san; is it too hot in here?" she asked, her delicate fingers pressing against Sasuke's moist forehead.

'Speak, moron!' Sasuke thought to himself.

"Sakura-san, I…" Sasuke's voice faltered under her gaze. He could picture the look of hate on his parent's faces, and the pain it would put them through. He could also see the happy faces of he and Sakura together in each other's arms, and that image seemed to block out all others.

But how do you tell a girl you love her when you're in a situation like this? How do you live with the sacrifices that would have to be made when you did tell the girl your feelings?

Sakura removed her fingers from the boy's forehead and pressed one to his lips. She ran upstairs, into her room, and came back with something in her hands. She stood in front of her companion and held out the cherry blossom picture frame that Sasuke had given her so many years ago.

"I kept this because you were my best friend. And I honestly thought that after our parent's got over their little argument we could go back to that. But I don't think they ever will, and now I'm not so sure we could be friends.

Yet no matter how frustrated I got, about our families and about you, I could never bring myself to get rid of this. I don't know if you're meant to be my friend or not, but if that's what you want then we're going to try!" Sakura spoke with determination. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his nerves starting to calm down.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but I don't want to be your friend. I'm going to have to break that promise I made to you." He stood up and looked into Sakura's hurt emerald eyes. She was going to say something, hoping she could finish before she cried. But Sasuke wasn't giving her the chance.

"I can't be your friend, Sakura-san," Sasuke started as he reached out and gently touched her cheek.

"Because I want us to be more then friends." He was starting to feel rather bold, and Sasuke leaned forward to kiss his pink haired teammate. His lips barely brushed her lips, and yet it was enough to send jolts of electricity throughout her body.

Sakura jumped in anticipation; unfortunately the motion caused her to trip over her coffee table. As Sakura was falling backwards she grabbed a hold of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him down with her. Sasuke's shirt caught on the edge of the coffee table and ripped. He landed on top of Sakura, and they both blushed deep shades of scarlet.

"I'm really sorry about that Sasuke-san!" Sakura gasped as Sasuke got off her and helped her up. The front of his shirt was ripped pretty badly.

"I can sew that for you, if you'd let me." Sakura frowned as she examined the damage.

"It's bad, but fixable." She added with a loud sigh. Sasuke didn't reply, but crossed his arms and pulled his shirt off. He handed it to Sakura, who was trying very hard not to stare at his wonderful abdominal muscles.

"My mom keeps sewing supplies in the kitchen. I'll go fix your shirt, but in the mean time you can make yourself at home." Sakura walked away, her mind buzzing with everything that had happened today. She opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a needle and white thread.

They didn't have any blue that would match Sasuke's shirt. While Sakura got busy, Sasuke stretched out on Sakura's couch. It was late, and he was feeling pretty warn out from all the recent excitement. Yet all and all, it felt good to be back in Sakura's life.

He never really realized just how much he missed her until now. In fact Sasuke found himself constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for his flower's return. When she did, his shirt looked nearly as good as new.

"Here you go, Sasuke-san; one newly fixed shirt." Sakura smiled as she handed over the blue garment. Sasuke took the shirt and tossed it over the back of the couch. He patted the free space in front of him, indicating for Sakura to lay down with him. Though her face had to be brighter then the garden tomatoes Sasuke loves so much, Sakura giggled and did just that.

"Good night, Sakura-chan." Sasuke whispered in her ear as his arms snaked their way around her and held her close. Sakura felt all her breath leave her throat, and it wasn't until she heard the slow and steady breathing of Sasuke sleeping that she too closed her eyes and rested.

**A/N: This amazing piece of fluff was conceived in my brain last night when I spent the night at my Grandmother's house. How I came up with such a spin on the plot, I'll never know. But I can guarantee that the next chapter will have some unexpected drama in it!**


	9. Itachi's Words

**A/N: Um, I sorta lied in the last chapter. I said there would be some unexpected drama in this chapter. There **_**is**_** going to be drama, but it isn't really unexpected. Yeah. Sorry 'bout that everyone! So before I give anything else away perhaps you should go and read the next thrilling chapter!**

**A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree**

**Chapter 9**

When Sakura awoke the next morning, she found her face inches away from Sasuke's. Their foreheads were resting against each other's, and their breath was mingling together.

"Sasuke-kun, are you awake?" Sakura asked quietly after she finished taking in his perfect features. She decided that if he could call her 'chan' then she could call him 'kun'.

"Hn?" Sasuke mumbled in reply as he buried his face in her hair. It was clear he had no intention of getting up right away.

"I hear someone outside." Sakura whispered as she tapped his chest absentmindedly. Sasuke's eyes flew open but otherwise he remained perfectly still. He strained his ears, and though it was with great difficulty, faintly heard footsteps outside. The front door to the Haruno home swung open and in walked Sakura's parents.

"Be quiet dear, we don't want to wake up…" Mrs. Haruno admonished as she walked inside. Her voice died in her throat when she saw the scene in front of her. The two shinobi sat up as if they had been electrocuted.

"Sakura, get over here right now." Her father growled, his voice shaking with anger. Sakura closed her eyes and prayed that her parents would keep their cool. Sadly a prayer just wasn't enough.

"AN UCHIHA? REALLY?" Mr. Haruno roared at his daughter, all control gone. Sasuke knew what was coming, and he pulled Sakura into his arms.

"GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF OF HER!" Mrs. Haruno screamed. Her motherly instincts kicked in, and she ran at Sasuke with every intention of hurting him. Sasuke waited until she was close enough before kicking off the ground and doing a back flip over the couch. Mrs. Haruno crashed into the sofa, and while Mr. Haruno moved to help her Sasuke carried Sakura out the back door.

"We are you taking me?" Sakura asked frantically.

"Hn." Was all Sasuke said as he pumped his legs to move faster.

"Don't give me that 'hn' crap! Answer me!" Sakura demanded. The Uchiha remained silent. He carried her to a place he hadn't attempted to visit for six years. Where was this place you might ask? The western part of Konoha, home to the beautiful blooming cherry blossom trees. Upon arrival Sasuke sat Sakura on her feet and he looked around expectantly.

"Good, I don't think we were followed. I think we should hang out here for awhile. Your parents will probably tell mine, and they'll be out for blood." He said at last. Sasuke put one of his hands in his pocket and sighed somewhat wistfully.

"Sasuke-kun, what is it? What's wrong?" Sakura questioned. Call it a girl's intuition, but she was sure something was up.

"I…it's nothing." Sasuke assured her, wishing the subject would drop.

"You can tell me, you know." Sakura smiled as she gently touched the hand that wasn't inside Sasuke's pocket.

"I was just thinking about how, if our families can't get over their differences, maybe…maybe you and I could run away together." Sasuke admitted, a faint blush touching his cheeks. Sakura looked startled, to say the least. It was very unexpected, but so romantic and pleasing at the same time.

"I understand if you don't want too." He added suddenly.

"Sasuke-kun, I would run away a hundred thousand times just to be with you." Sakura said honestly, a blush of her own spreading across her face. Figures appeared in the distance.

"Darn, they found us!" Sasuke hissed. Without hesitation he pulled Sakura behind the nearest cherry blossom tree and they hid behind it. It wasn't the best hiding spot, but Sasuke hoped it would work for the time being.

On one side of the field Mr. and Mrs. Haruno marched forward, with Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha and Itachi coming on the opposite side. They stopped when they got close enough to yell. Then, they started shouting and arguing. Sakura watched in horror as Sasuke's parents and Itachi performed the necessary hand signs for a fire type jutsu. Her parents pulled out tons of ninja tools and threw them at the same time the fire was let loose.

"No, they'll kill each other!" Sakura shouted. She pushed past Sasuke and ran, not caring that she was crying.

"Stop! Please!" She yelled as she came to a stop in the middle of the fight. Both attacks were going to hit; there was no mistaking that.

"Sakura-chan! Don't!" Sasuke yelled as he took off after her. His eyes were as wide as basketballs as his mind told him his darling flower was brushing shoulders with death.

'I'm not going to make it!' Sasuke realized with terror. He pumped his legs harder then ever before. Sakura braced herself for the impact she knew was coming. Itachi, not wanting to destroy someone who was so precious to his brother, cancelled his jutsu at the last second. But everyone else had no control over their attacks, and it was clear they were going to hit.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Sasuke screamed one last time before he was close enough to pull her against his chest. He knew his body wouldn't be able to block the entire attack. Sasuke watched as his family's combined fire attacks came closer to Sakura, and he knew that she was watching her family's weapons do the same to him.

Everything hit at one time, and the two teens' screams could be heard for five agonizing seconds. Now, five seconds might not seem that bad to you, but when you have a hundred sharp objects tearing into your back and fire licking your entire body, it's pretty bad.

They collapsed to the ground, and both families stared in shock at what they had done. Some of the Uchiha's fire was blown by the wind and caught on the cherry blossom trees. They quickly caught fire and burned to the ground.

"Are you happy now?" Itachi snapped at both sets of adults.

"You've all had this hatred of each other for six years, and it was all because a few drunks said a thing or two. Now, because you're all too proud and vain to admit fault and move on in life, these two innocent lovers had to suffer in the worst ways possible.

None of you deserve to wear the Leaf headband, nor the love these children have for you. If you're finished destroying everything, I think you should leave. I'll take them to the hospital." Itachi gently picked up Sasuke in one arm and Sakura in the other.

He cradled them against him, careful to avoid further damage to their bodies. He had them positioned so that their heads were touching, much like they were earlier. Itachi then carried them to the hospital and when to the Hokage to explain.

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

"Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, you may leave now." A doctor told the teens three days later. Sakura and Sasuke left the hospital hand in hand, both feeling rested and healed. Sasuke had slight scarring on his back, and likewise Sakura had some burn marks.

Both had some visible bandages on, but other then that they were fine. They walked silently, neither having anything to say. They just wanted each other's company. Besides, they had talked during their stay at the hospital. As it turned out, Itachi's words had gotten through the thick sculls of the Haruno and Uchiha families, and they had declared a truce. Itachi also informed them that they were free to be together.

"Oh, and Sasuke," Itachi said before leaving on the day he told them about the truce.

"I was the old man who helped you get those cherry blossom branches." He exited the hospital then, leaving Sasuke in a minor state of shock.

Naruto presently waited for them at the village outskirts, and when they arrived he let out a whoop of joy.

"It's good to see you're both back in action!" Naruto smirked at Sasuke.

"In more ways then one, I see." He added, earning a glare from Sasuke. They looked down the road to see Kakashi Hatake walking towards them, his nose in a book. He stopped when he saw the strange lovey-dovey sight before him.

"I'm guessing you guys completed the mission I assigned you?" the male said, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, sir." The trio answered in unison.

"Well, er, did I miss anything exciting?" Kakashi pressed, clearly wanting to know what had happened. Sakura and Sasuke exchanged small smiles.

"Exciting? No, I don't think so." Sakura answered. Sasuke leaned forward and quickly pecked her on the cheek, earning a smile from Naruto.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei, everything sure was boring without you." Sasuke added before putting an arm around Sakura's waist. They all laughed at that one, even the baffled Kakashi.

**A/N: I'm glad I finished this before school started, even though I cut it pretty close! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! What started out as a fluffy oneshot turned into a nice, nine chaptered fanfiction of awesome-ness! It was so much fun to write, too! So have a good school year everyone, and keep an eye out for more SasuSaku fluff from me!**


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